HÀ NỘI — The State should create a fair environment and legal system to help associations and civil social organisations to develop.

This was a comment by the participants of the seminar on the legal environment for social organisations referring to the draft Law on Social Organisation which was co-held yesterday by the Việt Nam Union of Science and Technology Associations and the Non-Governmental Organisation Information Centre.

According to the statistics of the Ministry of Home Affairs, there are more than 500 associations and organisations at central-level, 4,000 ones at city and provincial level, and over 10,000 at district level.

Besides, about 1,200 international non-Government organisations have been operating in the country with the total assistance worth US$3 billion from 1991-2012.

Speaking at the seminar, Dr. Hoàng Ngọc Giao, director of Law and Policy Research Institute, said “the rapid increase in the number of civil organisations in Việt Nam meant bigger roles and effects of associations and civil organisations to society”.

The associations and civil organisations have attracted hundreds of thousands of employees, contributing to job creation, said Giao.

At present, the associations and civil organisations have been widely involved in all fields of society including monitoring activities of the State apparatus.

Notably, the civil organisations have been permitted to contribute their opinions to the Party and State’s policies.

“In short, associations and civil organisations’ contribution to the country’s development for the last years was appreciated by the State, society and international community”, Giao told the meeting.

Meanwhile, Dr. Hàn Mạnh Tiến, chairman of Business Managers’ Association, raised the concern about relations between the business community and civil organisations.

“Three major pillars in a good society are State, businesses and civil organisations”, Tiến said.

“In last years, only the relationship between the State and civil organisations was taken into consideration. So, the legal system was focusing on the ties”, he said.

But in fact, the relations between businesses and the organisations should be enhanced. It was because ten years ago, the civil organisations were given big funds from international NGOs.

However, in recent years, the funds have been dramatically reduced due to many reasons, including the economic crisis.

Luring businesses to granting funds to civil organisations should be considered a strategy of State.

But, presently, few businesses have given funds to the organisations because of a lack of information. Besides, businesses still doubt the financial transparency of the organisations, he said.

At the meeting, the participants agreed that to encourage civil organisations, the State should boost the right of setting up associations and civil organizations, considered a policy of ensuring and protecting human rights and citizenship.

Besides, the procedures of association establishment should be simplified, said Giao.

Under the draft Law on Social Organisation, it takes 105 days to get an operation licence. It is too long, he added. — VNS